Hacking your iphone

If you haven't learned by now it's no question that people are starting jail break their iphones, droids, ipods, and everything that you can possibly jail break.

jail breaking is when you install a special software on your device, can be easily found online, and alter it so that you can get free apps, fast speed, and better connection.

But this is illegal and people fail to realize that.

Now you can just search "jailbreak iphone" and get a step by step process to jailbreaking your online on google.

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=jailbreaking+iphone&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Currency exchange

although this isn't a new app, it's a very interesting app on iphone that could be great for people who like to travel, are businessmen working internationally, and people interesting in the money value in countries.

The app is called currency exchange. you can put in any amount of money in any country and it will translate to you the worth in another country. for example, dollars to pesos.

It's an app that can help people save time and "money."

http://rates.speedymarks.com/

Zapd

I found this when I was looking through interesting apps, and it was interesting to see that an app actually could improve other apps or sites.

Zapd is an app that lets you create more cool, interesting, and fun apps and sites from your iphone.

This could work great for people on the go who can never have time to play on their computers, or even people using this app for business purposes.

A new update is about the come out.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zapd/id426955081?mt=8

Control Your Kid's "Sexting"

Mobile carriers are going to be able to offer more than just Family Locator options where parents know and control where their children are. But in the near future, U.S. carriers will be able to offer tools that will allow parents to stop their children from texting while driving, stop "sexting" with others and stop those children from communicating with "unwanted parties."

Parents will have access to the content in their childrens texts, and will be able to preview photos that are going to be posted on the internet or are going to be sent to friends.

They will also be able to specify what types of applications their children can get and when they can be allowed to use them.

Although I think this is a potentially good way for parents to sensor their children from a lot of unwanted activities, in consideration of how much kids become involved in their phones and connections, this may be the takeover of their lives. Micromanaging to the extreme even, depending on the parent and the kid.

Link: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/parents_rejoice_new_technology_will_end_sexting_driving_while_texting_and_more.php

Is Android beating out the iPhone?

It looks as though the Army has jumped onto the Android bandwagon. Does this mean that whatever iPhone has to offer isn't cutting it for America?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/04/22/first.army.smartphone.android/index.html

Identifying Tourists

There's work of new technology at a University in Canada that's working on emotion-reading, biometrics to tentatively be used in airports. The imaging-system that is developing is getting a lot of attention world-wide because of what it may imply for airports.

Airports are hoping to use this technology in the future to use facial expressions in order to flag people for a possible terrorist suspect when they pass cameras or other places.

The idea came from a recent research project that won the top honour at the third Indian International Conference on Artificial Intelligence. The idea was a system that could read emotion through faces, and it was ranked as the best scientific paper out of 800 submitted.

In Montreal, Canada, this work is meant to spot people for potential threats by analyzing their facial expressions in order to possibly "stop terrorism." They say the system is years away from being fully-functional at airports.

Some people don't want to use this technology towards security, and would rather use it to create robot companians that can read facial expressions and catagorize them, responding in a more realistic way than ever before.

Security advancements or robot companions, it looks as though this technology may be incredibly widespread in the future.

Link: http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=2a9cd5d1-f43c-42ae-8c21-65be738fdb2e

Mind Control Helmets

DARPA is now helping an Arizona State University neuroscientist to develop a chip to put in helmets. I have no idea what they would want to do this for, but it's probably not a good thing. Now that DARPA is helping the research, it might be a faster process to getting these things into people's heads.


http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/14/darpa-seeks-out-remote-controls-for-soldiers-minds/

Iphones secretly tracking users without knowing.

Based on the discussion in class, it is very scary to be tracked by strangers without knowing. If you have an iphone or want one soon, how do you feel about your locations being stored as data where anyone can access it? And maybe your home being one of those locations? Researchers found that there is a hidden tracking file in the iphone that I am guessing users were not suppose to know about it. The researchers who found the tracking file posted it online and you can now see where all the locations you have been since you got the phone! SCARY right?
"Cell phone providers collect similar data almost inevitably as part of their operations, but it's kept behind their firewall. It normally requires a court order to gain access to it, whereas this is available to anyone who can get their hands on your phone or computer, "By passively logging your location without your permission, Apple have made it possible for anyone from a jealous spouse to a private investigator to get a detailed picture of your movements."

This is so scary.. and it invades privacy!

"This is a map of everywhere I've been for the last months. Everywhere," he writes on that tech site. "I didn't carry around a tracking device. The FBI isn't sending goons in unmarked vans to track me. All I did was use an iPhone."

source: CNN

General Mills can't get the kids attention

According to the New York Times, kids are unaffected by the ads they are seeing on websites. The Banner ads that have interactive games as a way to draw attention to them are going unnoticed. Sure the kids still play the game but can they tell you who or whats its for? A study showed out of 112 kids only 10% of the kids were able to identify what the brand was in an ad. 34% of the kids thought a celebrity had created the ad.


http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/21/children-fail-to-recognize-online-ads-study-says/?ref=technology

Library in the palm of your hands

Looks like driving to the library to check out books are going to be in the past, the kindle is starting to take charge and allow users to check out books through a service called "Library Lending". Not only that, but it will allow you to take your own notes on while using the book on your kindle such as margin notes and highlighting text. This can be a big help to the more frequent library users, as well as users in general because the worry that a certain book you want is currently checked out is no longer a problem.

Source Article:

http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/04/21/6506792-soon-youll-check-out-kindle-books-from-your-library

Excuse me waiter? Can I use your tablet?

Today I found an article that talks about a company called E la Carte that is starting to introduce the usage of tablets in restaurants that would ultimately replace the need for a waiter. I find this to be pretty interesting because the tablet would offer customers an easy way at ordering food, paying the bill, and keeping them entertained while waiting for the food. It is a smart way to keep service going at restaurants by eliminating the middleman, and there are dozens of times I remember waiting around for the check. Having these tablets would allow me to pay and leave almost as soon as I finished eating. However, this does kind of kill the social aspect of going out to eat, where you get to have a light conversation with the waitress or converse with your friends instead of staring at a tablet playing video games.

Source Article:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/04/20/server.tablet.mashable/index.html

yellowBird: 360 degree video

I stumbled upon (literally. I used the application "StumbleUpon" to find this) a very interesting video recently. It advertises what a company called "yellowBird" uses: 360 degree, panoramic video. Basically, it looks like a pretty basic youtube video of a snowboarder at first, but when you click it and actually load the video, it becomes something much more. It is a 360 (count em, three hundred and sixty) degree video recording where you can literally click and drag all around the perspective of the camera.

The video starts off with the camera-man simply standing at the top of the mountain for a few seconds to, I presume, get the viewer familiar with the click and drag mechanism. Then, it cuts to daytime where a bunch of snowboarders immediately come into the picture. You can click and drag and keep track of one snowboarder if you'd like, or move the perspective to see all the other snowboarders doing their tricks and antics, or you can even just face forward and admire the mountains in the far background. This type of video really is quite revolutionary, and it makes viewing the ride down a mountain very fun by creating an interactive way to watch the video!

The official yellowBird website is a very simple site where it basically has some little information pieces on it. It looks like yellowBird is a company that will come and film events using their 360 degree technology. They don't elaborate much on how the video camera(s) work, but with my handy-dandy google gadget I was able to break their silence and figure out that the company uses a 6-lens camera that is much like what the Google Street-view cars are equipped with.

I think that this technology is a really interesting idea. Basically, any computer that has Adobe flash can play the videos and watch from whichever angle they choose. I can see it being extremely useful at sporting events or anything that is extremely mobile. The snowboarding video is a great example of it being used.

The official yellowBird website is at: http://www.yellowbirdsdonthavewingsbuttheyflytomakeyouexperiencea3dreality.com/

Quite a long URL.

I think the company is doing some interesting stuff with the technology. I'm interested to see this sort of thing used more widespread in the future at large-scale events and become more accessible to the public. The website has a cool looking feature that notifies you of yellowBird's LIVE demos, which I can only assume would be a 6-lens camera set up at some sort of event where people can live stream and view it, which would be incredibly cool.

At the moment it doesn't seem like there are any other companies that are offering this sort of service, but I imagine in the near future more will pop up and maybe even a consumer product that allows people to make these videos on their own. Now that would be something!

Speak No Evil

A team of UK scientists has developed a headset that can bring voices back to those who have lost their speech due to injury, cancer, stroke, and other maladies. The prototype uses magnets positioned in the user's mouth or tongue to take the place of low-tech solutions like throat valves, which have the tendency to get clogged. When the subject speaks, changes to the magnets' movements are detected by the device, which associates specific facial movements with corresponding words (the device currently has a vocabulary of about 50). The device is still not completed yet, but the developers are working to make it the size of a Bluetooth headset.

U.S. Military Chooses Android

The Defense Department has just chosen the Android phone to develop an app for "use in tactical operations by the U.S. Army and the Marine Corps". Weighing two pounds, the Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P Handheld) is going to essentially become an android phone for the military. By entering information of an enemy that has been spotted, the information will be transfered to the other team and warn them, as well as giving them all the information. "We're trying to set this program up so that it can rapidly adapt and maintain relevance to the current warfighting generation," Daniels said.

Link:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/Army-Marine-Corps-Android-Phone,news-10946.html

The internet and energy

I found an article from cnn.com called "Greenpeace: Apple has the dirtiest data". This article explained how internet companies (Google, Apple, Facebook, ect) are using alot of energy. The internet by itself uses as much energy as many countries in the world. We seldom think of the internet when we think about reducing our energy use, but the internet is quickly becoming a large part of the global energy crisis. Apple especially gets most of its energy from non-renewable sources, such as coal and nuclear energy. Google ranked among the top for "clean" energy. They get alot of energy from solar and wind power plants making them more earth friendly. Check out the article to find out more. 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/04/22/greenpeace.apple.dirtiest/index.html?iref=NS1

Synthetic Brain Synapse

This article talks about how engineers at the University of Southern California have succesfully created a synthetic brain synapse out of carbon nanotubes. They can actually imitate brain functions but this isn't an artificial brain. This is just a stepping stone to creating an artificial brain. It shows how human technology is constantly striving forwards to obtain the unthinkable. Imagine if they succesfully create a synthetic human brain. What could be next after that?

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-04/synthetic-synapse-constructed-carbon-nanotubes

Heard of Bobsled on Facebook?

This new app by T-Mobile allows users of Facebook to make voice calls to people on their friends list. To use this tool, just log into your Facebook account and go to the Bobsled app page and follow the instructions. Once the app is installed, you can make a call to anyone of your friends from the chat list. Even if a friend does not have the app installed, they could click on a link that will allow them to answer your call. The great thing is that this app is free and with just a click of a button, you’re able to talk to friends. Additionally, if the friend does not answer your call, this app allows you to leave a voice message with the option of it being private or public.

Source:

http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/04/19/6495721-how-to-make-free-voice-calls-through-facebook

Eye tracking

Eye trackers can be used for all kinds of things. A new study using eye trackers reveals website design tactics. What part of a website is looked at most? what is the best way to design a webstie?
www.directcreative.com/blog/eye-tracking-websites

Obama and Facbook

President Obama visited the Facebook campus in order to sit down with their Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg, along with a thousand onlookers, as he took questions both in person and via Facebook. He made a couple of small jokes initially, but when more serious issues were brought into question, such as the economy, immigration, and health care, the president gave sincere answers with his plans and ideas. A large issue that was not introduced into the conversation was the legalization of marijuana, which in previous interviews such as this, dominated the community-voted questions aimed at the president. Apparently, at this forum, there was more restriction on what questions would be allowed to asked of the president. Still, the integration of Facebook into this event created a much more expansive conversation, in which ordinary people were able to speak with their president, and the president could respond openly, creating more of a dialogue rather than a simple Q and A. If you're interested, here's the link! http://news.cnet.com/8301-31921_3-20055777-281.html?tag=topTechContentWrap;editorPicks

Photosynth by Microsoft

Remember we talked early in the class about how we can use our ipad to click pictures in various angles and then translate it to an application in Virtual Reality. This might be one of the first such things we will see out there.

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/microsoft-photosynth-app-april-2011/1ii4ck7pi?from=sp&fg=shareObject&src=FLCP:sharebar:embed

But i am sure more companies will include this in their phones and it will soon become an inbuilt feature on the smart phones.

Google PowerMeter

Whether you are interested in becoming more "green" or you want to lower your energy bills at home, Google PowerMeter is an energy monitoring tool that you may want to use. Google PowerMeter is a free energy monitoring tool that provides energy information by using utility smart meters and energy monitoring devices. This tool allows users to view their home energy's consumption online.

get Google PowerMeter from one of our utility or featured device partners.

Dreamate Sleep Inducer

This technology help put you back in a regular sleep pattern if you've been having an irregular sleep pattern and can't really sleep when you want to.This technology is an amazing technology that uses accupressure techniques to gently massage the " Sleeping Golden Triangle" on your left wrist.The key is to use it for 30mins prior to going to bed or bedtime , and base on this data that the device collects,it will use it to reset your biological clock and train your body to relax and sleep.Google it,if you are interested.I for one, will like to know more .

Application for doing tax

Tax season is almost over and there are few out there are still passionating on doing their taxes. Well, they are in luck well right now there are many app that can do tax for you and all you have to do is put in the number. Watch the video below to learn more about the best app that help you doing tax

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/04/15/caifa.smartphone.tax.apps.cnn

affordable eye tracking device

A group of researchers has developed a way to use an eye tracking device to control a computer. This has been around for awhile, however, they developed a less expensive version ($1500) that works. The next cheapest model runs for $6900. This could help disabled people better access computers without killing their budget.


http://m.engadget.com/default/article.do?artUrl=http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/15/students-create-affordable-eye-tracking-tablet-for-the-disabled/&category=classic&postPage=3&icid=eng_latest_art

The Future of Communication

I came across an article online that was discussing the future of technologies off of the current ones that are beginning to develop:

Grassroots videos: anyone will be able to share and edit videos to their desire with free software and inexpensive equipment.

Collaboration Webs: colleagues and group members will be able to edit and work on group projects together on the internet. ASU even has a section under "Tools" for this sort of thing, and one of my classes I'm in currently actively uses that option.

Data Mashups: combining information from different sources into one, interactive tool. Sites like Pidgin are becoming highly popular on the internet.

Collective Intelligence: Large masses of people coming together and conversing and creating a collective understanding and mass of knowledge. Wikipedia is one of the largest examples of this.

Social Operating Systems: Networks becoming more organized around people more than content. Twitter interative media is becoming very popular during large events.

Deep Tagging: Deep tagging of audio and content that improves retrieval and organization of these files.


The world is becoming closer and closer with technology and it's interesting to see where it goes and what information can be used with these new technologies. Like Geolocating is becoming popular, where attaching location information to something else "media-wise" like twitter or such can improve the internet experience and can create applications toward data visualization.

A website with more on these technologies: http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/NewMediaCommunicationTechnologies.html

Are You Being Watched While You Surf?

Webcams are on almost all laptops these days, and they might just be the peep-hole into your personal life. I've had several friends talk to me about instances where their webcam was hacked into (or attempted to be hacked into), one instance in particular involving a friend who was watched for hours eating spagetti.

I researched into it and discovered that people will hack someone else's for a plethora of reasons, and the technology to do so has become so immensely easy. These people are considered to be Black Hat Hackers, and someone of almost any age could do it with the right software.

However, there are some ways to prevent yourself from having your webcam hacked:

Make sure you keep your computer up-to-date on anti-virus protection and enable your firewall, because an easily hijacked webcam is often done through unsecure computers. Also make sure you watch out what you download off of a messenger like Yahoo or MSN.

To tell if your webcam has been hacked, there is usually a light on a webcam to show that it is on, and even laptop integrated webcams have a status LED.

Eitherway I know several people who have been affected by online webcam hackers and have read even more stories about instances where that was a serious problem. So make sure to keep yourself protected from creepers on the net.

Here's a good website that goes over ways to prevent it: http://hellboundbloggers.com/2009/05/26/truth-about-webcam-hacking/

RC Car Run On Soda Can Rings!

A pair of Spanish engineers have recently unveiled the dAlH2Orean, a R/C car that runs on aluminum. Dropping a few soda can tabs into a tank of sodium hydroxide produces enough hydrogen to power the little speedster for 40 minutes – at almost 20mph. This is definitely exciting to see because it is turning garbage essentially into a potential energy source for everyone!

Watch the video at the link below!

Computers can see?

Google is teaching computers to see. Yes that sounds very weird when you think about it but they have had some success so far. They have an app names Google Goggles. With Goggles, the user snaps a picture, which is transmitted across cellular networks to Google's servers. Google's computers then tell the phone what they recognized in the photo. This process can take only a second or two -- and sometimes even less.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/04/14/google.goggles/index.html

Mobile Shopping

More and more people are using their smart phones to do more things. Online shopping has also moved to the phone and mobile shopping is an area that needs much improvement. If any of you have ever tried shopping on your phone, its a mess. Its slow and most phones are unable to access the internet quickly and efficiently. Some companies such as Bed Bath and Beyond (my employer), Coach, and Dillard's, do not yet have a mobile site much less an efficient mobile site. There is a huge potential to capitalize on mobile shoppers and Amazon seems the be the only company that has seen this potential.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/18/technology/18mobile.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=technology

Twitter changed how we communicate.

Twitter has really changed social media and how we communicate.
1.)The information flow is unbelievably fast.
What happened in Cairo with Twitter is a huge example of how fast information was received. "In the Twitter echo chamber, all it takes is a few users with big follower counts to share something. With one click, those followers share it with their own followers. And the wildfire is set ablaze".-CNN

2.)Twitter has also removed the celebrity filter.
Twitter has allowed celebrities to share with the public with scandals are real and what are not. The filter has let celebrities be themselves over the web and have control of what information is going to the public.

3.) "Thought leaders"
Twitter has created a top list where it allows twitters to gain more popularity with their tweets. The top 100 hundred include mostly celebrities and media companies but it is very successful because alot of people follow top twitters.

4.)Made "second screen" more powerful
During a popular show you are able to tweet about what is going on in real time.
A show during air time lets you have a real-time conversation with your friends over a twitter conversation.

"TV shows become events, meaning people watch them as they happen," Twitter CEO Dick Costolo said last month. "We're so used to creating experiences for our users, but now our users are creating experiences for each other." -CNN

"A telling detail? Twitter traffic increases by a factor of 30 whenever "Glee" is on. And during this year's Super Bowl, there were 4,000 tweets sent per second." -CNN

5.)"Over simplified conversation"
This has to be Twitters must successful asset is the short thoughts sent via Twitter. Twitter allows you to get straight to the point. The shortness of a tweet allows fast and valuable information that gets to other users fast. This has been very successful for politicians and celebrities.

ASU

Since we are all are in the midst of working on our final projects I was doing a little research on groups who have come up with new innovative ideas and came across one of our very own. ASU's Cubic team worked on a project that involves a camera, pen, and multi-touch tablet to help the blind. They will be going on to compete in the Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals in New York City. This might give a little inspiration for our own projects.

There is even a link to the article.
Link:
http://asunews.asu.edu/2011413_imaginecupwinners

Creepy

Creepy, a new software tool, has just made it less difficult for creeps to stalk people. This tool gathers information about a person from Twitter and other social media websites and plots the location of the person much like how a Google search works. So every time someone posts a tweet or updates their status online, 'Creepy' receives the info and creates a map of where a person has been, in addition to when they were at that location. The good news is that most people have the option of deleting all the location info they posted.

Source:

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2011/04/just-how-creepy-is-creepy-a-test-drive.html

Rechargeable batteries by hand

So instead of wasting time by plugging batteries into a charger, why not charge them by your hand? Designed by Qian Jiang, winding up the batteries for five minutes will give them maybe 45% of battery life. This would be great for emergencies when there is no electricity.


Link:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/rechargeable-battery-emergency-battery-wind-up-battery,news-10847.html

A Wacky Site to 'Freshen up' you tweets

I came across this article where a new website has popped up for tweet messages. It uses the tags for your posts and scrambles them together to make a new post. Its said to be an extremely addictive time killer used by Tweeters. Most messages are complete nonsense but sometimes a rare smart tweet will pop up for the laugh of the Tweeter. Check it out, this may be your way to spend sometimes between posts. http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/04/14/twitter.my.next.tweet/index.html

US vs. Malware Technology

Over two million Windows based computers have become the victim of malicious software over the course of the last ten years, all done by a single group of attackers. the US Department of Justice finally was granted permission to remotely disable computers that were being remotely seized and controlled by hackers. In some instances, these hackers were able to record keystrokes and private communications in order to access usernames and passwords, as well as banking information and private data. Groups of malware infested computers, a botnet, are now able to be disabled by the Department of Justice in order to eliminate any further attacks on our privacy. This is just another example of how technology is being exploited by some, and in turn being restricted by the government. For the full story, here's the link: http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20053708-245.html?tag=topTechContentWrap;editorPicks

Teachers cannot friend their Students on Facebook

The board for teachers in Ontario, Canada forbids any teacher accepting or requesting the friendship of students via Facebook. This article also states that teachers who post negative or inappropriate comments on any social networking site may be fired and/or prosecuted criminally. The reasoning behind this is that that believe that teachers should always have certain standards and that they should always act professionally. Do you think that this new law will spark more issues, or help resolve the current issues that have surfaced due to social networking sites?? Should the United States adopt something similar to this?

http://digitallife.today.com/_news/2011/04/13/6466276-teachers-told-not-to-friend-students-on-facebookPublish Post

PlayStation Phone

Sony and Erickson is joining venture to release a Smart phone that will come with a PlayStation console gaming capabilities . Wow , now you can have a real game console on your cell phone in addition to having the cell phone capabilities.Nice!

A World of Photoshop

Just as Danielle's blog was saying, photo's are becoming a large part of our online identity and our accessible information. However, this is also becoming an online world of Photoshop.

I have Stumble, which allows you to set your interests into a main website where with a push of a button installed on your browser, it will take you to an infinite amount of pages across the world wide web. Of all the websites I have browsed, about a fifth of them have been about Photoshop. There are hundreds and hundreds of free tutorials on the web on instruction of working Photoshop.

One of the websites I stumbled on -- was this webpage were a friend talks about how he hacks onto his friends facebook, changes a picture of the guy slightly, and then posts it back on. Now, the webpage shows the friend responding, which may or may not be real responses but this an entirely realistic point to be worried about. Your online self might be available to the world but is there even a real "you" online? With accounts getting hacked and accounts getting taken and pictures being altered, the "you" that the world can see may not be the real thing. So it's important to take care of your digital self and make sure you have hard passwords for your accounts and hard security questions to keep yourself "you" online.

Stumble: http://www.stumbleupon.com/home/

Friends webpage with photos altered: http://www.oliandalex.com/james-face/

Microsoft and Toyota Partner

Microsoft and Toyota has announced that they are teaming up to generate vehicles that will provide consumers with features such as GPS, power-management and multimedia services. This means that Toyota cars will have access to the Internet as early as 2015. An investment of $12 million to help get this concept started.

Source:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42456956/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/

Email Breech

We have all been receiving emails from companies apologizing for the breech but how bad was it exactly? According to Epsilon only 2% of its clients have exposed emails. 2% doesn't seem very frightening but when thinking about the companies such as Verizon, Victoria's Secret and Target, those are some pretty big names. The biggest result from this breach has been an influx of spam,however, phishing emails are causing concern. Emails are being sent with the company's name stating a customers information or account has been locked and the only way to fix this is to validate personal information. Companies are urging their customers to not respond to those emails.


http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/06/technology/epsilon_breach/index.htm

Make You More Searchable.

Greplin, a website meant to make your life more "searchable," as though it wasn't searchable enough by now. It indexes all of your personnal webpages such as your pages from: Twitter, Facebook, Dropbox, Evernote, your Gmail and so much more. It indexes these personnal pages and accounts and has them and makes them all accessible with a search engine.

The idea is that you have a search engine to access certain information from all of your sites by using key words to find that information. The site promises great privacy settings but in reality we don't know who can access that information. For example, in class it was discussed that even if your name is not an indicator as to who you are on an account, people look for trends in someone's online habits to identify you. This website helps skip that step and connects all of these webpages together, making your presence on the web far more accessible and identifiable.

So although I think this website is a good resource to help organize your online-self, it is also a way to make yourself more searchable and have more information about you be linked back to you. It is a helpful tool in finding information quickly from all of these websites, however, if you already manage yourself well and need a quick summary on a topic from those webpages.

Link: https://www.greplin.com/

The Stylus is Making a Comeback

Remember a decade ago, when palm pilots were just emerging with the stylus? Then consumers decided that they preferred to use their fingers as they could easily lose the stylus. HTC is looking to bring back the stylus as a usable input device again. With both a stylus as well as multi-touch capability, tablets or even smartphones would be able to harness be best of both worlds. "Pen point" precision from the stylus as well as the ability to use your fingers as input devices.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/10/switched-on-pen-again/

Mobile Vulnerability to Phishing

Based on this article, it seems that the mobile community is much more vulnerable to phishing scams than people who are using a desktop/laptop. However, one of the reasons why this is true is because e-mail messages are read almost as soon as they are received on mobile devices. There are also some other statistics mentioned in the article, such as iphones being more likely to access phishing sites than blackberries and so on. All it is simply saying is that people seem to be letting their guard down more while on their mobile phones than their desktops/laptops.

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/04/06/email.breach.gahran/index.html

See Through Walls

A new technology is currently undergoing testing by Sprint that would allow us to see through walls as thick as concrete. To be more specific, it wouldn't let us see through the walls to the other side, but allow us to see inside of them. As mentioned in the article, it would be a good way to detect "bombs, drugs, and dead bodies." I can see this being quite a powerful tool for a lot of reasons, especially for the forces.

Source:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/09/sprint-radar-imaging-system-peeps-inside-walls-floors-to-detect/

StripeSpotter: A Database to Help Ecologists Identify Animals

In the modern times, ecologists are still locating and observing animals out in the wild manually and with out-dated methods. With the help of computer scientists, ecologists could now identify animals that may have already been observed. A new system called Stripespotter is a database that allows ecologists to take pictures of animals (using any digital camera) with distinct markings such as zebras, tigers and giraffes and upload them onto this database. Stripespotter is a more accurate image-recognition program than other programs and analyzes pixels in a spotted portion of the animal and a "stripecode" (similar to a fingerprint) is assigned to an individual animal.

Mind Controlling Just Got Easier

It would seem that some scientists went the extra mile when it comes to making a mouse be moved by the brain, instead of the standard Electrodes on the outside of the skull, they found a few daring volunteers to try with implants of electrodes under the skin of the skull. Would you like implants if it meant you could control mice w/o using your hands?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/08/test-subjects-with-electrode-implants-use-mind-control-to-move-a/

Biology and Engineering

In reflection to our class discussion and presentation I looked up an article that brings together biology and engineering. In doing so I came across this article that talks about synthetic biology. Genetic researchers found a way to create the first cell controlled by a synthetic genome. They believe it could lead to the building of bacteria with certain functions that they can customize. I like to see people from different professions coming together to reach a goal for a good cause. The article just goes off to explain a little more on who worked on the project and what they want to continue to work on

Link:

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/88/i21/8821notw6.html

Accelerometer Glove

A new accelerometer glove has come about costing only around $500 instead of the usual $5000 that other accelerometer gloves cost. This glove can register your place in 3D space and relay that to a computer. They are trying to come up with more ways to use this glove. http://www.popsci.com/gear-amp-gadgets/article/2009-07/open-source-accelerometer-enhanced-glove-allows-infinite-control-possibilities

"Online photos: Are they new digital fingerprint?"

Managing our digital image I think this is a very important topic especially with our generation and our kids generations. People need to know how serious this is because this can prevent you from getting a job one day. As software is maturing and getting better your photos are going to area where is it going to be permanent. Even though you think your pictures are safe in the walls of Facebook there not, pictures can be leaked out easily on any site any time by anyone. Think of it like your getting a tattoo it is GOING TO BE THERE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

"A digital photograph is like an onion, and advancements in machine reading and software scanning can help peel back layers to extract information from images.

Each layer of a digital picture often contains data about where and when a shot was taken. Rapidly maturing computer algorithms can interpret what or who is in the frame.

More than half of people online have uploaded photos to be shared with others, according to a study from the Pew Research Center for a report that hasn't yet been published. It was 55% in November, up from 46% in July 2008, Pew's studies found." -CNN

Ok if this doesn't scare you I don't what else will. Technology is advancing and so is the software. The computers are becoming more intelligent and the software is becoming more effective as time progresses. More than half the people online uploaded photos. Who is managing those photos and where is this data going? Exactly, just don't know. So I strongly agree with managing your digital self I think it is very important to manage a clean cut image of yourself of the web. For instance, I have a friend who had over a 100 pictures of herself and friends on Facebook. After just posting a new album a couple days later her friend tells her, "Hey did you change your name, because this girl name Alexis Miller has all the same pictures of you?" Moreover, "herself" got stolen on Facebook.She had no idea, her Facebook was private on too so it just goes to show you that you can't trust other people of the information your sharing with people on the internet. This subject can be pulled in many ways but be careful of the web.

Virtual goods in games more profitable than actual economy

According to the Information Development unit at the World Back the virtual economy is bringing in a stable income because of wealthy but impatient or simply players who don't have time to grind away at online games that exchange their real cash for experience or specific beneficial goods. The virtual market brought in $3 billion dollars in 2009 "which contrasts starkly with some of the more traditional international markets, such as that for coffee beans, where the study estimates only $5.5 billion of the $70 billion annual market value ever makes it back to the producing country."

Rift take on World of Warcraft

awhile ago, i bump into this game call Rift while it was in beta testing phase and decided to give it a try. I thought the game has some ideas that was seen from the famous old game such as world of warcraft and there are also a lot of fresh ideas. It was released about less than a month ago and there a lot of poeple out there that this is a world of warcraft killer. Here is an article regarding this game

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/04/08/rift.trion.online/index.html

The Hyper Touch Guitar

For all you music lovers out there, you may want to take a look at this article.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/electric-guitar-multi-touch-guitar-guitar-hero,news-10744.html

Replacing the strings with a touch screen, this just defeats the purpose of playing guitar. But at the same time, musicians will be able to customize the guitar to their liking such as the number of strings, instrument style, sound and tone. This helps musicians to only carrying one customizable instrument. In other words, this could just be an advanced version of Guitar Heroes.

At&t Deal w/T-Mobile

I really enjoyed the content of this post and wanted to share it with the class on how the content relates to general information.

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3928731/ATT-Acquires-T-Mobile-for-39-billion.htm

"IBM researchers create nanomedicine to kill bacteria where antibiotics fail"

IBM researchers have created a nanomedicine that can be used to kill bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotics. This is a synthetic, biodegradable and nanoparticle that also isolates and kills the "bad cells" and not the "good cells". Antibiotics do not have this ability and therefore may do not only kill the bad cells when fighting bacteria, but they also kill the "good cells". These nanopaticles are biodegradable because they are made from simple organic molecules and they can exit the body whereas antibiotics do not completely leave the body and can therefore they may cause harmful effects.

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3050049015916836925

Postal Network making a move with Technology

Have you heard the news lately? USPS(United States Postal Services)trucks could monitor Air Quality , Road conditions and Traffic Nationwide.Now, this is what am talking about! - putting those mini carts to work more for us.The implementation will use Telematics - a mash up of telecomunication and INFORMATICS, this is the science of scanning the world with a wireless devices to extract data and sending this data to a computer network, and using those information for things like package tracking to monitoring highway speed of groceries trucks.UPS relies heavily on Telematics and so is GM with his Onstar navigation system. This is my kind of technology- very cool!

Firefox and Social Media

It seems that Firefox is going to get a running start at making their user interface more likable by people who are very fond of social media. For instance, they have begun working at integrating their interface with social websites like Facebook and Twitter by making their address bar able to update their status. They have also added customizable menus that allow us to access Facebook and other websites much quicker and easier so that we are always connected. One of the features that I like the most was the one that would allow us to always be signed in to different accounts on websites; however I can see that as being a gigantic security problem later.

Source:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20110404/tc_digitaltrends/firefox5togetmajorsocialmediauiandtabupgrades;_ylt=AtXnKxDBVGRR6KF56Nk7Fa95Hrd_;_ylu=X3oDMTN1azdqYWo1BGFzc2V0A2RpZ2l0YWx0cmVuZHMvMjAxMTA0MDQvZmlyZWZveDV0b2dldG1ham9yc29jaWFsbWVkaWF1aWFuZHRhYnVwZ3JhZGVzBHBvcwMzBHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA2ZpcmVmb3g1dG9nZQ--

Do you have a facebook?

I found this video on the security risks of facebook. It is a little unnerving to have all of that personal information up for grabs to any company that wants it. While facebook is an excellent website to keep people connected, the fact that so many people have access to personal information blurs the line between private and public life.

video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMWz3G_gPhU

Helping Computers Understand it's Users

Scientist Lijun Yin is working on making computers more aware of what we, the user, wants by detecting different emotions through facial recognition as well as other gestures. They have already started this process by working with webcams to detect where the eye is looking. Yin wants to focus more on letting computers detect patterns that it picks up from us in order to determine what we want them to do.

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110304151016.htm

SolarballTransforms Dirty Water into Clean Drinkable Water

A new invention has allowed dirty water to be transformed into clean, drinkable water. Especially in third-world countries, I think this invention would be beneficial because there are no places to obtain clean water. However, this would be useful only in hot and humid places where there are water sources. In hot places, the sun heats up the water so that evaporation takes place and the clean water is collected.

The video can be viewed at:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/03/31/nr.solarball.clean.water.cnn

Mobile Game Spices up a library

The New York public library is spices up and getting into the modern world of technology by creating something of their own. Jane McGonigal, now a famous game designer studied in the New York library as a undergrad. She created a smart-phone based game called "Find The Future" it is a real life scavenger hunt with digital challenges that involved being in the library. "It's just the kind of space where you come inside and you feel something," she said of the library. "You almost feel like you could think bigger thoughts or dream bigger dreams." - McGonigal The idea: The first 500 people to enter on May 20th 2011 will get to spend the night at the New York Public library to do a scavenger hunt on their smartphone, with historical objects to be able to write a book in one night, its fanstastic. Being that my family is from New York, this library is a landmark and to wander in the historic library doing a scavenger hunt is fun and exciting. This idea could help teach children in junior high I think that this idea is fantastic. Check out their website, they have a youtube video, this idea is so cool and awesome I wish I thought of it. http://game.nypl.org/#/menu

Need to remember a phone number?

There's a web application that you can download also for the iphone that is a phone number calculator. The calculator is meant to use the phone numbers in a way that can relate it to something you know - like a phrase or a word - to help you remember a certain phone number. This is a cool idea because since almost all phones can now just remember contact numbers, people often don't put in the time to remember people's phone numbers anymore. This application is helpful to bring that back into society a little!

Webpage: http://www.medical-for-students.com/Phone-Number-Converter/

Virtual reality on a new level.

The first "virtual reality" to incorporate all five senses relatively realistically, with a headset that can let you see, smell, hear, taste and touch (otherwise known as the "virtual cocoon"). The scientists working on the technology said that they think they can pinpoint the "necessary expertise" needed in order to make a realistic virtual reality so realistic - that the user won't be able to tell the difference. Their hope for the virtual reality future is that there comes a day when people can be "virtual tourists" and be able to visit places without being there, maybe even visit old empires and experience things in a way that we never could before. Definitely a cool idea if it ever comes through!

link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304091227.htm

Minecraft as a learning tool

I started playing minecraft over the summer when a couple of my friends showed it to me. It's a lot of fun to play, and build your ideas. There is a teacher who also picked up the game over the summer and decided that it would be a good way to teach after seeing his daughter build a tree house. He uses minecraft in his lessons to teach valuable life lessons, such as sharing, cooperation, and patience. I think minecraft is a great learning environment. You can build anything you want, like a classroom to teach a specific lesson.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2011/04/educational-building-blocks-how-minecraft-is-being-used-in-the-classroom.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

The teacher's blog:
http://minecraftteacher.tumblr.com/

Kinectic-Powered Electronic Devices

For the past 6 years, researchers at Georgia Tech have been working on small power-generators smaller than the size of a postage stamp. With the use of a phenomenon known as the piezoelectric effect, researchers have been able to construct a durable and flexible chip containing millions of zinc oxide nanowires. When the wires are flexed, an electric current is produced. To produce enough energy to light up the screen of an LCD computer, about 5 of these chips are needed. Researchers suggest that these mini-generators could be put to use in a variety of ways such implanting them in the soles of shoes to power portable electronic devices or implanting them in human bodies to power artificial organs. Researchers estimate that nanogenerators will be in practical use in about 3-5 more years.

More info at:

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/29/6369568-your-pulse-could-power-your-ipod

Google Face App

Google has recently released that they are making an app that would identify peoples faces. You would take a picture of someone and with their approval Google would find a profile complete with pics, email info and telephone info. Although this is an interesting concept there are still a lot of issues they will work out before they put this app on the market. There are a lot of privacy issues that need to be addressed before this app will exist.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/03/31/google.face/index.html

R/C Car controllable with hands via Kinect

It seems like every day people are inventing new uses for Microsoft's Kinect and or an Arduino board and a few paper clips and shoestring, the possibilites are limitless. If anyone is ever interested in trying your hands at these projects they are actually really quite simple and easy to do with a set of instructions! And Fun!

Computer Science Majors

In reflection of our class discussion I found an article that was on the exact same topic. The author also talks about the ongoing problem of the lack of computer science degrees, and to add to it the stagnant interest in pursuing this field. The reasons that were brought up were the same as the ones that were mentioned in lecture. One being that many high school teachers don't know how to teach computer science. If it isn't even introduced to the students how are they supposed to even have the idea of being interested in computer science. Also, many schools don't realize the potential of computer science courses because they are so focused on a certain agenda and goal they are supposed to meet. Another issue is that where the curriculum exists, the introduction courses are boring and unappealing. All of these tie into the fact that the discipline is still young and new.
A tactic to make students take an interest is to make it relevant and useful to real life. For example, it mentions helping the students make a mobile application that tracks city buses. They are obviously interested in this because for several students the city buses are a form of transportation, something they partake in. I think this is the key point for coming up with strategies to recruit computer science majors.

Link:http://voices.washingtonpost.com/campus-overload/2011/03/why_so_few_computer_science_ma.html

Use the Kinect to play PS3

I came across an article that describes how a student from Berlin is using a hacked kinect to turn his desktop into touch screen recognized screen. Then further down the article it decribes a Japanese student who used the hacked Kinect to control a PS3 and control it to use the screen and and even play some of the games. Its amazing what modern technology can do. http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/04/kinect-hacks-touch-move-play.html

Google +1

Google is going to introduce a new button to there site the +1 one button. This button will be located next to google seach results. Google is doing this to make there sight more efficient by using user recommendations. The +1 button is googles way of competing with facebooks "like" button. Here is an article that tells a little bit more about the +1 button. http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/web/03/31/google.pluse.one.mashable/index.html

Health App. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/04/02/nr.armstrong.apps.health.cnn

There are some new apps. for your phone that will give you health alerts. I found a video that talks about a few a really good mobile phone applications to help you keep track of your health. There are a few great apps. that help keep tabs on things like diabetes. Having applications on your phone for health purposes can make a person feel more safe as well as make healthier choices.

Digital Vending Machine.

Japan is always coming up with new high-tech gadgets that never fail to amaze. Not only did they invent a digital vending machine (with a 47-inch touchscreen), they made it so "intelligent" that it is able to scan the customer's data and with the information, able to present products based off of their sex and age. Using external information, the vending machine is able to collect data from weather information, time of the day and even the season which the machine can use to offer hot coffee on a cold morning or an iced drink on a hot day. Named 'Acure' this friendly digital vending machine is even able to thank their customers. The company is planning to have at least 500 installed throughout Japan by 2012.

Article:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/digital-vending-machine-vending-machine-multitouch-display,news-10672.html

Green meets Technology

Samsung has created a solar-powered LCD television. This TV produces energy from the ambient light in a room and requires no other source of energy for it to work. The TV screen is also transparent. You can display images on the screen and still be able to see the objects behind it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wJT_ZbIjNfI

App that stop texting while driving

This app is created to stop the texting function of the phone while the user is in a moving car. I think this is a great app to stop the urge of texting when one is driving a car.

You can see the video about the app in link below:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/03/30/dnt.id.app.stops.texting.kidk

TUNEBUG SHAKE

This is a pretty cool electronic device that is attached to the top of your bicycle Helmet to keep noise away,instead of using the traditional earplugs.The way it works is that,its send surround sound(music) into the head area so that it keep you entertain while keeping the noise away.Nice equipment and show how a piece of technology like this one,can be applied and use for other purposes(Informatics).

Twitter Resume

Twitume is a web application that helps the user create, modify and publish their personal resume onto twitter. The web application is meant to "propulse" and exand the users network and get their resume out to all of their twitter contacts, while at the same time have a way to keep in touch with this active network. I think this is a creative way to spread your resume, as long as you are comfortable with posting your resume information on the internet. But nonetheless it's a good way to network and should be looked into if you have an active twitter and want to get your resume out and on a roll and increase your chances of getting a job.

Website:  http://www.twitume.com/

Virtual Star Map

There's a new app for the iPhone that takes virtual reality into consideration. The application judges where you are directing the iPhone screen towards the sky and the application shows you real-time what constellations, stars, and satellites you're looking at. The app is called Star Walk and is considered very time-sensitive and beautiful, letting you zoom in and out of points of interest. The application is recommended for students and is also available for the iPad, which I'd personally be excited to see. I think this is a cool way to use virtual reality with technology, and is great educational tool too.

Read more up on it here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/star-walk-5-stars-astronomy/id295430577?mt=8#

Versatile Robot Joints

This little joint here is able to maneuver around various obstacles and change it's main structure to better fit in between different terrains. This tiny robot is only a starting point in changing the different ways vehicles may function and in general how robots movement will be altered. Naturally this makes transformers seem more possible in the future, but definitely not within the next century. I have seen several different tiny robots but with the functionality of this joint endless possibilites arise. Watch the link below to watch how maneuverable it actually is!

http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=9804

VIDEO:

'Gay Cure' App

Apple has been pressured to remove an app from it's online store. The App promised to cure homosexuality. Apple removed the app from it's store on Wed, thanks to a petition signed by over 150 thousand people. The petition was created by Change.org and commented the app was "hateful and bigoted". The app was created by Christian Ant-Gay group Exodus International. Although the group stated their app was meant to help the people at Apple as well as 150 thousand people seem to disagree. I understand there is freedom of religion in this country but when it so blatantly attacks a group of people it makes me wonder when freedom ends and bigotry begins.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/03/22/gay.cure.app.mashable/index.html

Amazon App Store

I bought an application for my Android phone two days ago. Unfortunately, they implemented a 15 minute return policy. I don't regret my purchase, but 15 minutes isn't enough to try out any app. Amazon released their own app store last week. They have a feature on the website that loads up an Android OS to allow you to try out the app. It's kind of fun to play around with, but will save you a couple bucks if you try out an app and decide you don't like it.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/27/amazon-com-lets-you-play-with-an-android-virtual-machine-try-ap/

Swarm of Robots Creating Emergency Communication in Disaster Zones

A new research project, the Swarming Micro Air Vehicle Network (SMAVNET) would be efficient in creating communication in areas struck by disasters. The project has created a set of flying robots to help with collecting data in disaster zones. Ten of the flying robots come in a set and are embedded with sensors that help control their altitude, speed, and how close they come to each other. Each of the lightweight designed robots are powered by a battery-powered electric motor; however, they could stay in the air for about a half an hour to an hour. This new project could also be useful in aerial photography and 2D and 3D mapping(as discussed in class on Thursday).

For more info(video) about the SMAVNET project visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfYs5C8D4uk

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/03/24/flying.robots.disaster.relief/index.html

Will scientific-technology become real, well sooner than we all think!

"If they were to see you with all of your wizardry, they would consider you a sorcerer to be able to summon up images from all over the world," he said. "But if someone could come today from the 21st century, what will our grandchildren think of us? In the 21st century, they will have the powers of gods." Dr. Michio Kaku is the modern Albert Einstein, he has predictions for technology and great ideas to lead us in the future. He is combing the idea of physics and technology to make science fiction possible. He has predictions of over the next 100 years of technology probably the best predictions I have heard being a college student. When: The next 20 to 50 years Ok if this prediction happens I will be the first one to buy it. Hopefully you guys all heard of the movie "Predator". Well, Dr. Kaku predicts like in the movie Predator we will Internet contact lenses where we could be on the Internet with a blink of an eye. "The Internet will be in our contact lenses,You'll blink and you'll go online. When you talk to people, you'll see their biographies printed out. When they speak to you in Chinese, subtitles will appear under their names." When: Next 20 -50 years Real-world images will overlapped into your world right in front you hence maybe using contact lenses to do so? Movies that pertain this is"The Matrix" and "Star Trek". "For example, soldiers might wear special lenses that would help them see enemy locations superimposed over real-life scenes. When: Next 50 years In the next 50 years shape shifting is said to be possible. By 2050 Dr. Kaku states that nanotechnology will let us change the world. "Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale."-wikipedia. And no this is not pertain to people but shape shifting objects. " "By midcentury, programmable matter starts to open up," he said. "You'll simply write a software program, and you can literally change a chair into a table." When: Next 100 years 1.) Robots. The Jetsons are the perfect example of a robotic runned world. Dr. Kaku predicts more robots like "Rosie" from the Jetsons. Rosie was the Jetsons family maid/nanny 2.) Bringing Back Extinct Animals Example: Jurassic Park. Having a virtual museum that will bring extinct animals to life or even an adventure park where everything is so real. " Parks full of velociraptors and Tyrannosaurus rexes not enough for you? How about taking it a step further and bringing back cave men such as the Neanderthal? Scientists say they've already reconstructed the genetic information that made homo sapiens' ancient cousin what it was. Using that to bring them to life is the next step, according to Kaku." 3.) Much longer life span

Example: Cocoon

Even though we can't live forever maybe it could happen one day.

"Combine that with cellular research that could let scientists regrow heart valves, bladders and other organs, and you've got the ticket to a long life." I believe this part is the most interesting to me because this concept can help cure disease like Cancer, AIDs. Well I know this is alot but I hope you found this interesting! - Danielle

3-D Smart Phone

While Nintendo plans on becoming the first to launch a gadget that posses the three- dimensional visuals, HTC has unveiled the EVO 3D, a follow-up to Sprint Nextel's breakout smartphone. It has a 4.3-inch touchscreen, which can display eye-popping 3-D without needing glasses. Users will also be able to capture photos and videos in 3-D using a pair of cameras on the back.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/mobile/03/24/3d.phones.tablets/index.html

Super Spy Robots Make a Comeback

I came across an article where spy robotics has taken an advancement with the new spy bot developed by Lockheed Martin for Advanced Technologys Laboratories. It is a small quad-wheeled spy bot painted black for camo at night. It still is quite bulky but it does accomplish a step further to totally untraceable, annonymous spy bots. Check it out at the link below http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928044.700-surveillance-robots-know-when-to-hide.html

Yahoo vs. Google

Yahoo has produced a new product "Search Direct" to rival Google's Instant Search Results. After the success of Google's Instant Search Results, Yahoo is fighting back in order to keep their foothold within the Search Engine game. Yahoo executives are saying that this new product will focus on the search results as well as integrating a more personalized experience for the user. For me, I haven't been on Yahoo in like a year or two, and I don't see myself switching over anytime soon. But hey, if you would like to learn more then her'e's the link!

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20046240-36.html?tag=topTechContentWrap;editorPicks

U.S. Technology Aiding Japan

Everyone knows by now how distraught Japan is after the Tsunami. In effort to help Japan recover, the United States has donate robots that will help them in search and rescue missions, search for chemical, biological or radiological anomalies, and to clear some of the rubble. The reason why these robots are of great help is that they can travel into areas that may otherwise be fatal for humans. In addition, these robots provide real time data about hazardous conditions. Similar robots were used on 9/11 for similar purposes.

E-Bicycle

There is an E-bike that will provide the gentle energy by assisting you to paddle the bicycle with less energy and strain.This is done by means of a tiny battery pack that is mounted on the bike itself that assist you during the bike riding and the battery is recharging in realtime as you are riding the bike. This is really cool if you are an outdoor person or elderly.Google it, and you will fine more info on this.

MP3's The Car Thiefs New Toy

I came across an article about how researchers are using Trojan and malicious software to take over all computer and electrical systems in cars. Theoretically a hijacker can remote access a car, drive it away, deactivate the GPS and on board security, park it, contact a buyer and sell it all by remote. Pretty creepy if you ask me.
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/03/how-an-mp3-can-be-used-to-hack.html

Make your own!

There's a website that lets you create your own free social networking website! There's designing tools and a simple layout that makes creating your own social network easy to do. It's called Toonti and it has its own selection of privacy options on your own website. This site is great if you want to create a website for a group or a club, or if you want to share something with a group of people in particular. Even better, you could create a study group website and keep connected on project updates and information regarding school. There are limitless possibilities with this website - and I think its a great way to organize your groups.

Website: http://www.toonti.com/

Connect all from one place!

LiveGo is a web-based client that combines all of your social networks (such as Twitter and Facebook) and connections (such as live-chats like: msn messenger, yahoo, and gtalk) into one location. It reduces the tabs and programs running on your computer if you're someone who likes to stay socially connected online. However, this website knows how addicting and time-consuming it can be to keep in touch with people, so it also includes To-Do Lists, a calender, notes, and a social filter if the time calls for it. This website caught my eye because I like how this website is funnelling all of the different everyday connections into one place to try to simplify technological life.

Website: http://www.livego.com/

Green Goose is turning life into it's very own role-playing game, by embeddingcustom 915MHz radios and MEMS accelerometers in a variety of tiny transmitters which you can mount to household objects these objects then report back to the receiver and increases your score in the game. For example by brushing your teeth on time, excersing repeatedly and drinking enough water will level you up! Currently they are working on motives on why it is important for you to level up and what the use for leveling up can be used for. Green Goose has potential to partner with companies at the launch conference in San Francisco to dispatch the sensors.

Ipad 2 Jailbroke, Public Version Soon

All you Apple fans out there are most likely fans of jailbreaking your favorite little devices to suit your very own needs even if its against Apple's wishes. But why do you care!? You can now have a Ipad 2 for your very own and jailbroken! The dev team are hard at work on a public release version that should be coming very soon.

Source: Here

Research Watch

More and more research is being conducted with efforts to help increase innovation in every field. I found a news post that informs that carbon nanotubes, which are allotropes of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure, could be used to help treat strokes and other brain injueries. It is crazy to see how far and quickly technology has advanced. It wasn't too long ago that we were in the dark ages and to have it pick up like this and come so far. There is always a group of people working on the next invention or tool to help make the world a better place. This is shown with the carbon nanotubes to the presentation we had in class. Who would think that technology taps into just about every aspect of life and there is no sign that it is slowing down or fading out.

Link:
http://trnmag.com/blog/2011/02/22/nanotech-for-good-and-ill/

Need a perscription refill?

There's a new app. for the iPhone or Android for refilling your perscriptions from Walgreens. This is done by just using your phone to scan the barcode on your perscription, and the app. will send it to Walgreens and by the time you get there they will have it ready for you. There is also now a Pharmacy Chat at Walgreens.com where you can talk to pharmasists and experts from their pharmacy team and ask about perscription questions and have over-the-counter product and perscription interactions. You can also ask about treatments from common problems.
I find this interesting because this helps create a more interactive environment for customers and pharmacies.

Website: http://Walgreens.com/pharmacychat

http://Walgreens.com/mobile

To help find the words.

For those who have suffered a stroke and have lost their grasp on verbal communication, there is a new device that can help out with these victims. It can help these people communicate with their friends and family who are also suffering. The device is called the UB Talker, which is a laptop-like device with a touch screen that has a synthetic voice to help communicate. It's portable and significantly more effective than a pen and a piece of paper for stroke victims. This is just another technological step towards helping the silent communicate with the world.

Article: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2701_132/ai_109085072/

Angry Takeover

Anyone who has ever played the game "Angry Birds" knows how addicting the game can be, I myself just recently got the game a few days ago. Turns out they have a plan to make some major expansions. The game was created two years ago in 2009 and has expanded from an iphone app to an android app and now plush toys. Its sounds as if they have more Anger to give us, they are considering an Angry Birds movie, TV show and expanding the game to include social media sites such as Facebook.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/13/technology/angry_birds_sxsw/index.htm

Sophia - Internet Education

Sophia is a brand new website, still in development, that is working on helping to separate the correct and factual information from the rest. It is designed to help students and other scholars find information quick and easy without having to worry about its integrity. This website is going to be based mostly, if not completely, off of user posted material. There are also plenty of applications and resources available so the user can easily make a "lesson packet."

I think this is going to be a good alternative to Wikipedia if it can manage to take off.

The source article can be found here:

http://mashable.com/2011/03/09/sophia/

Who says we have to see with our eyes?

After the guest speaker on Thursday talked about trying to figure out a way to help the blind I got very interesting and checked the web for some articles about what other technology is out that. I found an article about a product named BrainPort. This device sends signals into the person tongue if you can belive that. The article shows a good example of how tecnology can be used to help the blind.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/18/eveningnews/eyeontech/main2373433.shtml?tag=cbsSMPB#

Finding Customers on Facebook

I found an interesting article that talks about a few different applications that have come up recently that helps business owners create a storefront on facebook for their customers to use. The applications that it talks about are Payvment, Storefront Social, BigCommerce SocialShop, and Ecwid. Most of these applications are just ways to link a customer back to the original website to purchase the item they want, but Ecwid is a newer application that allows customers to buy the item right on facebook.

If something like this develops further, it could be a gigantic competitor to Ebay. What do you think?

The source article can be found here:

http://mashable.com/2011/03/13/storefront-facebook/

Google Circles

It looks like Google is going to take another attempt at the social networking business. Their first attempt was called orkut, I believe, or something along those lines. I remember signing up for it, but then I never really touched it again. This second attempt is supposedly going to be much better than their first.

http://gizmodo.com/#!5781456/privacy-could-headline-google-circles-social-network-reveal-later-today

Ray Kurzweil- Inventor/Scientist/Futurist about computing and information technology. Very interesting topic!

HIS PREDICTIONS ARE ON TRACK SO FAR FOR YEARS!


Ray Kurzweil has so many interesting things to say if you love information technology then this is a perfect research area for you. Ray Kurzweil is a scientist/inventor /engineer and a futurist that says that humans and machine can't be without one another they are connected and the relationship will only get closer as the years progress. Ray describes a really vivid picture about humans and their computers in the future, he states on a cnn interview that our computers will be as small as human red blood cells that will float to our brain and have access to Internet and cloud computing in our system. Moreover, as technology is advancing technology is getting smaller and humans are getting smarter because of technology. There is a documentary about Ray Kurzweil ideas about virtual reality, avatars, cell phones, science....this list goes on forever..etc. This documentary is called the "Transcendent Man". "Transcendent Man" is about if we don't fuse with technology it will overpower us. Ray Kurzweil gives an example how a social networks can overthrow a government, its capability is not exponential its linear its just going to keep going and keep getting better.

I REALLY RECOMMEND WATCHING THESE, INFORMATICS IS THE FUTURE.

HERE IS A SHORT CNN INTERVIEW WITH RAY KURZWEIL:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2011/03/11/explain.it.to.me.sxsw.cnn

HERE IS ANOTHER VIDEO WITH RAY KURZWEIL CALLED "10 questions with Ray Kurzweil" interview with time magazine on their website:

This video has to do with everything we talk about in class like augmented reality, avatars..interesting

http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,686757398001_2033145,00.html

YOUTUBE VIDEO ON THE MOVIE "TRANSCENDENT MAN" TRAILER. lOOKS REALLY GOOD MOVIE FOR CLASS??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntY01qoIdus

Supplement Post!

If you were interesting in how google keeps up with it's security issues, here is an article that popped up after I read the one regarding.

Pwn2own.http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3927686/Google+Pushes+Out+Chrome+10+Security+Update.htm

iPhone's lack of Security

This is a super short comical article about Apple's lack of protection against hackers. However, there is a link to read about the topic more.

P.S. I am Apple supporter

http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3927936/Chrome+Firefox+Weather+Pwn2own+iPhone+Falls.htm

Get Your Face in the Game!

A lucky fan of the game, Resistance 3, will soon have their face scanned and incorporated into the game and the character will be a surviving character. The lucky winner, along with a friend, will receive free trip to San Diego, where developers of the game will scan the contest winner's face. If you're interested, better hurry because the contest ends today! Submit your photos.

Here's the link to the website to submit photos:
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2011/03/07/resistance-3-competition-get-yourself-in-the-game/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PSBlog+%28PlayStation.Blog%29

Robots Increased Interaction with Autistic Children

Researchers in London have conducted a study with an autistic girl by creating a robot resembling a child. Before the study was conducted, the 4-year old girl was hardly affectionate. After bring in the robot once a week for a 10 minute session, the girl began to be more affectionate toward her friends. The estimated cost of building this robot is $2,118. There are also several other robots, including one that is programmed to play Wii, but they are still in the experimental stages.

More info at:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41967936/ns/health-mental_health/

Baby-Making application?

There is a new Baby in the making application that can be used on smartphones. The main component of the app is a calendar. The calendar has a preloaded medicine list in case you have any medications to take and it allows you to put in appointments and location of the appointment. It also has a built in blog and built in resource section just in case you would like to learn about in-vitro fertilization. In addition the application has a budget tracker, photo and journal section but best of all you can easily upload what you want to onto Facebook!

Kill IE6!

Mozilla helps Microsoft by telling users how to stop using Internet Explorer 6. Microsoft has attempted to eliminate IE6 usage because of the decline of users. Although unlikely to happen, Mozilla has decided to help Microsoft by advising people how to stop using IE6. The problem with IE6 is that it is unable to upgrade to IE7 or IE8 and will not even be able to play applications available only for IE6.

Article:

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/mozilla-firefox-ie6-ie9,news-10381.html